You Never Knew About The 'Indian Soldiers' Who Volunteered With The Nazis To Fight Against The British

Indian Army’s role in the World Wars is hardly talked about. Laying out the facts in short, approximately 2.5 million Indian soldiers served during the entire World War 2. They fought primarily in Africa, Europe and Asia. 87,000 soldiers died in the war, 34,354 were wounded and 67,340 were taken as prisoners of war. While majority of the Indian soldiers fought as a part of the British Empire Army, there were a few who chose to go against the tide. They were called the Free Indian Legion or as the Indians know it, the Azad Hind Fauj, led by Subhash Chandra Bose.

Just when the British and the Indian communists aligned to fight against the Japanese, Bose abandoned the left front and decided to shake hands with the Axis (Germans) by forming the Azad Hind Fauj or INA. In 1941, he left for Nazi Germany and started recruiting for The Indian Legion. The legionnaires were primarily expatriates in Europe and prisoners of war. The intended purpose of the Legion was to fight against the British occupation of India. Initially, the legion was inducted and trained as a part of the German Army’s assault group to infiltrate Western Fronts on British India. They were trained in the strictest military discipline and were entitled to every amenity that a German soldier was entitled to. The ‘intended purpose’ though, was never served. Most of the legionnaires either never saw any combat action or were primarily deployed in Europe. None of them actually fought against the British in India.

In 1945, Nazis surrendered. The surviving legionnaires made escape efforts into the Swiss Alp but failed and were arrested by the American troops. They were eventually shipped back to India and ‘were’ supposed to be tried for treason. The trials were never actually completed.

In total, there were 2,600 legionnaires out of which 59% were Hindus, 25% were Muslims and 14% were Sikhs. The legion never really met with the purpose it was created with and even Hitler said that the ‘Indian Legion was a joke’ and asked for their weapons to be handed over to a newly created regiment. Even in the German history, the Legion is less noted than other foreign volunteers.